Sleigh-runner



No. 6l3,699. Patented Nov. 8, I898.

J. L. MASON.

,SLEIGH RUNNER.

(Application filed Apr. 27, 1898.)

(No Model.)

. 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

WITNESESS: INVENTOR I HIS ATTY No. 613,699. Patented Nov. 8, I898. J. L. MASON.

SLEIGl-l RUNNER.

(Application flleiApr. 27, 1898.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

NITED STATES,

PATENT (drmcn.

JOHN LAWVRENOE MASON, OF DAVENPORT, IO\VA.

SLElGH-RUNNER.

sinc'irrcArroiv forming part or Letters Patent No. 613,699, dated November 8, 1898 Application filed April 27, 1898. Serial no. 678.942. (a hotel.)

T or whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN LAWRENCE MA- soN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Davenport, in the county of Scott and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sleigh-Runners, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to that class of sleighrunners which are independent of each other and which it is customary to substitute for the wheels of vehicles during the wintry season.

The objects of my invention are, first, to provide a hub for the runner which can be adjusted so as to accommodate the arm of the axle of the vehicle irrespective of its diameter within certain limits; second, to provide for the longitudinal adjustment of the hub on the runner, so as to obtain a narrow traction for rural travel or a wide traction for urban travel, as desired, and, third, to provide a light, strong, durable, and economical metal construction therefor. This I accomplish by means hereinafter fully described and as particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a perspective view of my invention applied to the:

broken-away end of an axle. Fig. 2 is aside view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal central section of the hub, the hub-bracket, and the rave of the sleigh-runner. Fig. 5 shows the plan View of the hub-bracket secured to a broken-away section of the rave. Fig. 6 shows a plan view of the pillow of the hub. Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the hub and its support, taken on dotted line 7 7, Fig. at; and Fig. 8 is a transverse vertical section taken on dotted line 8 8, Fig. 3.

I My invention involves both structural changes and mechanical differences from the sleigh-runners heretofore known and used. I

I am able to dispense with the use of wood entirely by making the runner A and the rave A preferably of one continuous piece of suitable cha'nnel-iron. The rave is substantially horizontal and at right angles to the axle and is of any desirable form and has its forward end merging into the runner. The runner is of the usual shape and has its rear end extending below and beyond the rear of the rave.

The rave is supported and rigidly connected with the runner by an inverted truncated V- shaped standard B, which is also made of channel-iron. be 'made of one continuous piece of channeliron, or it may be made of two corresponding pieces of equal length, each of which forms one of the legs of the standard. The upper ends of these legs are bolted to the rave by bolts a a, which pass through both the rave and leg and an intermediate filler-block a and also assist in securing the bracket supporting the hub in place, as will hereinafter more fully appear. The lower extremities of these legs are made narrower by bending the side flanges of the channel-iron flat against the body of the same and forging said extremity into one solid piece of such transverse dimensions that when suitably bent it can be fitted within the gutter or valley of the channel-iron runner and securely fastened thereto by means of rivets or otherwise. This channel-iron construction gives both strength I and lightness to the runners; but as the tread of the runner is subject to great wear I prefer to suitably attach a steel shoe 0 to said tread in such manner that it lies fiat against and conforms to the curvature thereof, as shown.

The hub of my improved runner consists of a cap at and a pillow D. The pillow preferably is of a solid casting having a perfectlystraight base cl of the same transverse dimensions throughout its length. This base portion of the pillow is, with the exception of a couple of lateral partitions, hollowed out its entire length in order to reduce its weight and is provided at each end and midway its length -with transverse bolt-holes 2, 3, and 4;, as

shown. The upper part of the outer portion of the pillow is correspondingly flared outward on both sides, and its upper surface is provided with the necessary longitudinal con- This V-shaped standard may cave bearing-surface, within which, the arm of the axle rests. The rear portion of the flared sides of the upper part of the pillow are gradually reduced and terminate between bolt-holes 3 and 4; but the support afforded the arm by the pillow is continued by a longitudinal ridge 5, arising from the heel portion of said base, the upper edge or crest of which is on the same plane as that of the lowermost segment of the concave bearing-surface of the pillow. At a point just to the rear of the transverse plane of bolt-hole 2 and bolthole 3 I provide the side edges of the flared upper portion of the pillow with laterally-projecting lugs 6 G and 7 7, each of which is provided with vertical bolt-holes therethrough for the reception of suitable bolts 8, which secure the cap d to the pillow.

The cap cl is a slightly taper-shaped shell, the under side of which is concaved, so as to correspond to the concave bearing-surface of the pillow, over which said cap is placed and secured. In cross-section the con tours of the concave bearing-surfaces of both the pillow and cap preferably describe a parabola, and these bearing-surfaces are traversed near the forward and rear ends by trans verse raised surfaces or zones, so as to limit the area of the arm coming in contact with the said bearing-surfaces to the smallest practical extent and lighten said hub. The ends of the raised zones 00 :r of the cap form shoulders which rest upon the upper edges of the upper flared portion of the pillow when my runners are used on axles having the smallest commercial-sized arm; but their side edges are preferably extended so as to lap past the upper edges of the pillow, with the exception of that portion thereof coming in the same transverse plane as the lugs 6 6 and 7 7, at which point they are recessed, as shown, and provided with corresponding lugs e e, up through which the bolts 8 are passed, so as to receive the tightening-nuts 9 thereon. By tightening or loosening these nuts 9 the hub can be made to accommodate any of the commercial sizes of arms for axles to which sleighrunners of the class to which my improvements belong are likely to be applied.

The hub is longitudinally adjustably secured to a bracket E by virtue of the base portion of the pillow thereof entering the 1011- gitudinal groove or gutter f in the upper surface of the said bracket and by means of transverse bolts 9 g passing through suitable bolt-holes in the lugs h h and h h, arising from said bracket on either side of groove thereof, as shown, and through the bolt-holes 2 and 3 or 3 and a in the base of the pillow. Then it is desired to give the runners a narrow traction, the pillow is adjusted longitudinally in groove f, so as to permit bolts 9 to be passed through holes 2 and 3 thereof, and when it is desired to give the same a Wide traction said pillow is moved so that said bolts may be passed through holes 3 and 4- thereof. This adjustment is very easily, quickly, and effectively accomplished by simply manipulating bolts 9 whenever it is so desired.

The bracket E is arranged at right angles to the sleigh-runner, to which its inner end is securely fastened by means of the bolts a a, as hereinbefore stated. The outer end of this bracket is supported by braces F and G, the upper extremities of which are preferably riveted by separate rivets to the under side of the outer end of the bracket and the lower extremities of which are extended and riveted to the guttered sides of the legs of the standard B at points about midway between the rave and runner. The outer end of the bracket is braced to the forward end of the runner by brace 7a, the forward end of which is riveted to the under guttered side of the runner and the rear end to the bracket, preferably by the same rivet securing the for wardmost brace F thereto.

Another and very important object of the ridge 5 on the heel of the pillow of the hub is to limit the motion of the runner on the arm of the axle. are preferably, although not necessarily, concaved, and when the runner rocks the sides of the ridge come in contact with the lower ends or nuts on the lower ends of the axleclip 12, which come on each side of said ridge, as shown in Fig. 8. This is a very simple and effective means for limiting the action of the runner and dispenses with the use of other mechanism, such as heretofore generally employed for this purpose.

What I claim as new is-- 1. The combination in an individual sleighrunner, with the runner and rave made of one continuous homogeneous piece of channeliron, a standard supporting the rear portion of the rave upon said runner and a suitable hub, of the axle of a vehicle.

2. The combination in an individual sleighrunner with the runner and rave made of one continuous homogeneous piece of channeliron, standard supporting the rear portion of the rave upon said runner, hub consisting of a pillow and cap, and bolts adjustablysecuring said pillow and cap together, of the axle of a vehicle.

3. The combination in an individual sleighrunner with the runner and rave made of one continuous homogeneous piece of channeliron, a standard supporting the rear portion of the rave upon said runner and a suitable bracket arranged at right angles and secured to said rave, of a suitable hub adjustable longit-udinally on said bracket, and an axle of a vehicle, the skein of which is secured in said hub.

4. The combination in an individual sleighrunner with the runner and rave made of one continuous homogeneous piece of channeliron, a standard supporting the rear portion of said rave upon said runner, and a suitable bracket arranged at right angles and secured to said rave, of a hub consisting of a pillow and cap adjustable longitudinally upon said bracket, and the axle of a vehicle, the skoin of which is secured in said hub.

5. The combination with an individual sleigh-runner of a suitably-braced bracket arranged at right angles and secured at one end to the rave, having a longitudinal groove in its upper surface and provided with two transverse bolt-holes extending through the The inclined sides of the ridge ICC IIO

eiaeee 2 sides of said groove at each end, of a hub having a base adapted to enter and be adjustable longitudinally in the groove of said bracket and provided with transverse bolt holes at each end and midway'between the same which are located at intervals apart corresponding to the distance between the transverse bolt-holes of said bracket and suitable bolts for adj ustably securing said hub to said bracket.

6. The combination with an individual sleigh-runner, of a hub arranged at right angles to and supported by the same and consisting of a pillow and a cap, said pillow having a longitudinal ridge arising from the heel portion of the base of the same, the crest of which is on the same plane as that of the bearing-surface of said pillow, and an axle of a vehicle, the skein of which is secured in said hub.

7. The combination with an individual sleigh-runner, of a hub arranged at right an gles to and supported by the same and consisting of a pillow having a longitudinal ridge arising from the heel portion of the base of the same, the crest of which is on the same plane as the lowermost segment of the concave bearing-surface of the pillow, which is also provided with laterally-projecting lugs, and said cap adapted to adjustably fit over said pillow and provided with laterally-projecting lugs and having its side edges, except where said lugs project, extended down and lap past the sides of the upper part of said pillow, and bolts and nuts adj ustably securing said cap to said pillow.

8. The combination with an individual sleigh-runner, of a suitably-braced bracket arranged at right angles and secured at one end to the rave, having a longitudinal groove in its upper surface and provided with two transverse bolt-holes extending through the sides of said groove at each end, of a hub consisting of a pillow having a longitudinal shoe adapted to enter and be adjustable longitudinally in the groove of said bracket, and provided with transverse bolt-holes at each end and midway between the same, which are located at intervals apart corresponding to the distance between the transverse bolt-holes of said bracket, and having a longitudinal ridge arising from the heel portion of the base of the same, the crest of which is on the same plane as that of the bearing-surface of said pillow, a suitable cap secured upon said pil low, and an axle of a vehicle. 7

, JOHN LAWRENCE MASON. Witnesses:

W. F. FIDLAR, F. S. FIDLAR. 

